Management & Operations

Big Blue Bus opens ‘green’ transit store

Santa Monica, Calif.’s Big Blue Bus opened its unique “green-friendly” transit store and customer service center to the public on Monday.

Located in downtown Santa Monica, “Blue: The Transit Store” will serve as the new home for the Big Blue Bus customer service team, and will offer trip planning, maps, schedules and a large variety of bus fare passes.

The new 900-square foot store was designed by Warren Wagner, who specializes in creating environmentally friendly designs. Some of the eco-friendly features of the facility include floors made of recycled rubber tires, counters made of recycled paper, walls made of renewable strawboard, formaldehyde free cabinetry and unique window designs that allow the store to be lit by natural daylight.

The store will also feature a line of earth-friendly products, clothing, transit-related items and Santa Monica-branded merchandise.

A fully autonomous, 15-passenger electric shuttle manufactured by French firm NAVYA will support research and provide self-guided tours of Mcity, the university's test site for connected and automated vehicles.

The AV passenger shuttle will run a fixed-route stopping at designated stops within an office park. The pilot will begin with two vehicles — each with a customer service agent onboard for passenger questions and information.